Barrel cleaning after firing corrosive ammo

[Catpop]

I've seen the effects of corrosive ammo on military rifles and it is not good- most often leaving the barrel ruined forward of the throat and about half way down the barrel.
I think the only corrosive part of an old military cartridge is the primer---correct? That said, what is the correct procedure for cleaning a barrel after firing known corrosive ammunition? Is it the same as any other ammo, brushed with Hoppes #9, patches until they come out clean and last a coat of light oil?
Does the action require any attention other than wiping dopwn and oiling?

 

[Comrade Mike]

Corrosive primers deposit chlorate and potassium salts in the barrel. The salts are extremely hydrophilic, they attract water and trap it next to the steel causing rust. The nice thing about these salts is they're extremely soluble in water. So the best way to flush them out is streaming hot water down the barrel.

All the other solvents you'll use, the only part of the solvent that's doing anything to remove the salts is the water in the solvent. That being said, I use Hoppes 9 and have never had a problem I don't like pushing water down a rifle barrel. Never know what crack or crevice it might get stuck in.

Oiling can work to slow the process by coating the salt deposits with a layer of hydrophobic oil repelling water, but it's a temporary fix if you have to put off cleaning for a day.

 

[BBBBill]

Don't forget the bolt, firing pin, inside of the receiver, and all of those tiny nooks and crannies.

 

[Sam1911]

Very hot water is your best, easiest bet. Water dissolves and carries away the salts, and making it very hot water (I put on a teapot to boil when I get home from the range) makes it evaporate off very quickly.

Then clean and oil as normal.

 

[Scimmia]

We're talking about a minute amount of salt. A few wet patches are really all that's required.

 

[highorder]

I've always run HOT water from chamber to muzzle until the barrel is hot to the touch. Then a dry patch, then solvent patches. The absorbed heat drives off excess water.

 

[Sam1911]

We're talking about a minute amount of salt. A few wet patches are really all that's required.

Well, that kind of depends on what gun and how much ammo's been fed through it. A Mosin-Nagant that saw 50 rounds? Probably a few wet patches and you're good.

An AK-74, blasting firing residue throughout the gas system and "innerds" for a whole match worth of rounds? Gonna want to really rinse that thing out.

 

[Scimmia]

Very good point, I wasn't taking into account a semi-auto gas system.

 

[Cosmoline]

Been shooting corrosive for many years now in large amounts. Mpro spray and CLP do the trick. If not that, boiling water followed by rags and oil.

 

[monotonous_iterancy]

I've heard about boiling water. I've never tried it though. I usually use windex on patches. One time I dumped some bottled water down the barrel and ran patches through.

But like others have said, there's always the fear that you won't get all the water.

So how do you dump boiling water? What container do you use? Using a glass would probably be too hot to touch, a plastic funnel probably wouldn't work, I'm worried it would melt.

 

[Comrade Mike]

A gentleman on Gunboards markets a specially designed hose made out of a casing of your choosing with the base drilled out and a hose attached which can be screwed onto a sink.

That being said, funnels with some aquarium hosing on the end also work

 

[Sam1911]

So how do you dump boiling water? What container do you use? Using a glass would probably be too hot to touch, a plastic funnel probably wouldn't work, I'm worried it would melt.

Teapot for the AK. I'm flooding that one.

For bolt action rifles I use a cool funnel I picked up at AutoZone with a quart reservoir and a long flexible tube on the end.

 

[highorder]

I use an electric kettle on Mausers, Mosins, and AK's.

I just pour from chamber to muzzle and don't worry too much about extra water.

 

[16in50calNavalRifle]

Sam I think I use the same thing - plastic funnel with flexible tube.

Fortunately I only have to deal with a bolt gun (Mosin Nagant). Very easy, really. Remove bolt, remove magazine follower, brace rifle in place so that it points the barrel muzzle-downwards on front edge of shooting bench. Bring a big thermos of boiled water (pour it in boiling and the thermos keeps it very hot for hours and hours), place flexible tube end into chamber (it just fits), pour water into reservoir and it flows out the muzzle.

When I get home, foaming bore cleaner/CLP/Mpro/something with patches, then some oil. Bolt disassembled and wiped down, receiver metal (and muzzle area, and front sight) wiped down with CLP (in other words, a normal rifle cleaning).

I usually manage to do the hot water thing while the rifle is still very hot from shooting - with the metal's heat and the temp of the water from the thermos (plus very low humidity where I am), any visible water evaporates in seconds.

 

[Jim Watson]

You can still get an official Enfield hot water cleaning funnel for $20.
Next to last item at
http://www.denner.ca/weapons/BritishWWII/

 

[Chuck53]

I have seen some ruined gas ports on ak 47s/74s because people simply don't take into account EVERYTHING that might have contact with gasses from the cartridges. As said before by Sam, flood the AKs and semi autos that have seen lots of use and then clean as normal. I am probably OCD when it comes to cleaning my guns but generally speaking there is not dang thing wrong with being overly cautious when it comes to getting your guns clean, you'll thank yourself when your internals and bore still look and function great in 10 years!

 

[Firehand]

Ballistol. The stuff was made to be mixed with water to clean corrosive primer residue, and it works.

At the range(if possible), when done shooting run a couple of patches damp with the mix through the bore, then a dry, then an oily one. Then a standard cleaning when I get home, and I've never had any rust problems.

On a semi-auto, I used the stuff on patches wrapped around an old bore brush to clean out the gas tube and such, then dry and lube.

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

How long is safe to wait before flushing with water? Obviously sooner is better, but is it harmful to wait a couple hours till you get home?

I finally made it to the range a couple days ago and fired a few corrosive rounds through my m91/30 to see if my sight adjustment was close. After getting home I poured not-quite boiling water (steams from the tap if you let it run a couple minutes, wife likes baths hot enough to scald me ) down the bore, ran a couple dry patches wrapped on a brush, a few patches on a brush soaked with Hoppes 9, then some CLP to finish. I will be checking on the bore over the next few days to see if that was sufficient, I guess.

 

[akv3g4n]

I've always gone the hot water, then Hoppe's #9, then Barricade route and haven't had any issues. When I was cleaning this weekend, I read the Hoppe's label and it says that it cleans the corrosive residue from gun parts. I don't want to chance it, but I would think by their label, I could skip the hot water route.....

You can zoom in on the label here: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/462963/hoppes-9-bore-cleaning-solvent-16-oz-liquid

 

[Sam1911]

I certainly will wait until the evening or, every once in a while, the next day if I can't do it right away. However, I have indeed seen sizable rust blooms overnight when conditions were really bad, so that can be risky.

 

[Scimmia]

How long is safe to wait before flushing with water? Obviously sooner is better, but is it harmful to wait a couple hours till you get home?

Depends on your climate. Remember, the problem is salt attracting moisture from the air. In a really humid environment, an hour might be too much. In a really dry environment, you could be fine for days or even months..

 

[frankenstein406]

I think some people carry windex water mix or a thermos to the range. I just wait till I get home and pour boiling water down it.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have a trap gun that can turn the chambers red before I get home from the club, and it certainly isn't being shot with corrosive primers. It is however being shot with plastic shells that hold sweat and leave no wax like a paper shell. Best to at least wipe out immediately when done shooting.

I shoot BPCR which does not use corrosive primers, either. Even though black powder residue is not as corrosive as chlorate primer residue, there is no reason to take chances. I wet clean on the range before packing up and going home.

 

[plateshooter]

I agree with post #17. Ballistol and water works on black powder guns as well. I swab before I leave the range and I have never had a corrosion problem on my black powder or milsurp rifles.

 

[medalguy]

I shoot a lot of corrosive in my AK, so when I return from the range I strip it down as far as I reasonable can and put it in the bathtub and run hot water right out of the tap for several minutes. One time I even turned the shower on it but that's not usually necessary. By the time I get it back to the cleaning table, the hot water has usually evaporated, otherwise I'll put it outside in the sun for 10 - 15 minutes, oil everything well, and reassemble.